Baked Cashew "Cheese" Wedge

The first baked cheese is certainly not the last.

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate. I hope you all are having a wonderful time with loved ones-- human and/or animal. Plus, watching the significant classics like Rudolph, Charlie Brown, Garfield, Home Alone I and II and Die Hard or listening to the must have tunes.

I learned the hard way about scheduling ahead, especially foods for social occasions. I aimed to serve this cashew wedge at the Friendsgiving last month, but didn't factor in its three day process (thank heaven for Miyoko's Kitchen). The recipe combines influences of The Tasty K's Baked Macadamia "Feta" and the Well Vegan's Baked Cashew Cheese.

Baked Cashew "Cheese" Wedge Ingredients and Preparation

2 cup cashews, soaked
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoon dried herbs (oregano and rosemary)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black salt
cheesecloth

After soaking cashews overnight, drain and place in blender. Combine with all the ingredients until mixture reaches smooth consistency.
Lay several cheesecloth over a small bowl and pour in the cashew cheese mixture.
Gather up the four corners of the cheesecloth and tie together with twine or rubber band. Squeeze access liquid.
Place into the fridge and leave overnight. I left mine for three days.

After preheating oven to 350, carefully remove cheese from the cheesecloth and place in parchment paper lined baking pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes 

Spread the warm goodness on favorite crackers, breads, bagels, etc.

Raw Almond Ricotta

A dollop of raw ricotta over my lunch time meal prep this week.  

I am super happy to share that the almond ricotta experiment turned out wonderful, especially in the three factors that matter-- taste, texture, and look. Usually, tofu is my go-to when the ricotta craving hits. It's definitely cheaper to make almond ricotta with tofu, just a few dollars less, but the almonds make for a lighter, fluffier concoction, a step closer to my memories of ricotta. I packed a tub of this newfound treasure and gladly sprinkled some cheer for the remainder of work week, the first full work week of the year (a few snow days and Martin Luther King Jr. holiday). Thus, it added an upscale gourmet feel to my packed lunches and thoughts on a future delicious lasagna.


Almond Ricotta Ingredients and Preparation

1 8oz package blanched and slivered almonds
1 1/2 cup water
2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of lemon juice

Soak almonds in water overnight.
Without draining the water, add nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, and lemon juice and blend together.
Keep refrigerated in an air tight container.

A close up of the almond-y goodness.

Atop of zucchini noodles and diced tomatoes with extra nooch and cilantro.

Goodbye tofu, hello almonds!